How to Peel Ginger

Simple Tip: Peel Ginger With a Spoon

A couple of weeks ago, I had a very hard time peeling fresh ginger. It was so nubby, I had to cut chunks off before I could properly peel it with my everyday vegetable peeler. I felt so bad about wasting so much ginger that over the weekend, when I needed to peel lots of it for a cocktail, I decided to try a new technique. Instead of using a peeler or knife, I scrapped the rough, papery skin off with a small spoon. It worked like magic! Now, I'll always peel ginger with a spoon.

Ginger, like most produce where I live, seems overpriced, so imagine my delight when it was on sale this week! I bought three big pieces. I will peel them--with a knife, chopping off the knobs because usually the knobs are old and shriveled enough not to be worth the hassle--and wrap them in cling wrap and freeze them; the ginger keeps well this way, and I find it's much easier to chop half-frozen ginger than "fresh," room-temp ginger.

I do this all the time, too. Interestingly enough, I also read (many years ago, in the Wall Street Journal) that peeling ginger is unnecessary as long as you give it a good wash.

5 years

I use ginger a lot in cooking and to make chai. All you need to do is scrape the skin off with a knife or butter knife. I think using a peeler is overkill and a waste. I only peel it when using it in a dish. The skin is fine in soups and tea.

I've used the spoon trick for several years (as long as I have been cooking with ginger). My other favorite trick is to use a microplane to grate the ginger directly into whatever I am making. It really breaks down the fibers easily and all that juice goes directly into the dish as well!